In An Instant
by Fangshen Gin
Summary: Sometimes, things were just fated to happen. Natsuki looked at the coffee stain on her shirt and at the retreating figure. And she wouldn't have it any other way. Fluff. Definitely cheesy. Shiznat- cause they're just awesome. I don't own Mai HiME. Read at your own risk! T- for slight language.


**Hey guys, I'm back for another one-shot. Now, I know how most of you want me to update When You Least Expect It, but I can't seem to find my muse. So for the time being, I hope you all appreciate the one-shots that'll probably start popping up. I always seem to get the best fluffy ideas whenever I'm stressed. Which is pretty much these days. Well anywho- I hope you guys like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mai HiME. **

**Warning: FLUFF and VERY CHEESY. Don't say I didn't warn you. I have a habit of writing cliche stories.**

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It had been a exhausting weekend. There had been so many reports, projects, thirty-five paged essays... well, that was just exaggerated, but you get the point.

Anyways, Natsuki K. Kuga wanted nothing more than to sleep the rest of her weekend before starting the whole thing over again. Too bad her best friend, Mai Tokiha, had other plans. The orange haired woman had dragged her off the couch as soon as dark tresses laid on the couch cushion and the emerald eyed teen wasn't happy.

Currently, she was being shoved and pushed into a mall.

"Mai..." whispered Natsuki, teethering on the edge of of her remaining control, "why the hell are we at the mall.."

Her best friend smiled at her and continued to fast walk, avoiding the people who were giving the duo strange looks. "I saw the cutest dress at this little store here. I wanted your opinion on it."

Natsuki's eye twitched as a sudden urge to strangle her best friend made itself present. "Seriously... Couldn't you get Mikoto or Tate to do this?!"

"Tate had to work late and Mikoto is spending the day with her brother," Mai abruptly stopped causing the woman she was dragging to slam into her. Violet eyes turned towards emerald and crinkled into a smile. "Plus, I haven't been able to hang out with you in forever!"

A low growl vibrated from the woman's throat on the ground. Standing up, Natsuki glared at her best friend. "That's cause I've been neck deep with school work! I actually have to pass, you know! It's not as easy as it looks!"

Mai laughed and Natsuki's blood began to boil. "Then you need to relax, Natsuki! You're too tense!"

"Like hell I am!" Natsuki was getting really fed up with Mai now. She had been up since five am. And even though that doesn't sound so bad, add the fact that she's been pulling all nighters for the past four days, well, her limit to converse like a civilized human being was long gone.

Natsuki turned her back on her friend and was about to head towards the entrance when a hand grabbed hers._ 'Fuck my life,' _thought Natsuki orange haired woman dragged her away once more.

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Two hours had passed since she had been pulled into her best friend's favorite store. Two _fucking_ hours. It's quite an understatement to say that Natsuki was pissed. She had passed that line twenty minutes into watching her friend try on dress after dress. 'What the hell happened to one dress?'

"Natsuki, what do you think of this one?" asked the orange haired woman in the new dress she had put on. Natsuki glanced at it and grunted.

"Mou- Natsuki! I brought you along to get your opinion, not for you to sit on your lazy bum!"

Cold emerald eyes glared at shinning violet. "I have been up for a sixty-four hours... I just want to go home!"

Mai just rolled her eyes and brought her friend up from the seat. Walking towards the entrance of the store, the big chested woman shoved her best friend out. Natsuki tumbled down before directing a glare at her friend's direction. "Go grab some coffee and come right back. Maybe that'll cheer you up." With that, the orange haired woman went back in.

Natsuki continued to stare at where Mai had been before heading towards the direction of the nearest coffee shop. Now, she knew she could run away to her warm sweet bed right now. Mai had given her the perfect oppurtunity... But the nagging and scolding afterwards was not worth it. Her best friend could talk for hours and last thing she wanted was to be kept awake..

Tired emerald orbs found their way to a pretty desolate coffee shop. Only about three, maybe four people, were there. Natsuki had never felt so grateful in her life. Quickly moving up to the front counter, the dark haired ordered the strongest cup of coffee that the shop had. She paid for it gladly.

Grasping the warm cup of 'Death Wish Coffee', dubbed by the American creator, Natsuki inhaled the intoxicating scent and sighed blissful. Just the smell alone was uplifting her spirit. Turning around to find a place to nurse her coffee, the dark haired woman wasn't at all prepared to come face to face with another woman.

_'Shit!' _Natsuki thought before the other woman crashed into her. The 'Death Wish Coffee' dropped from her hand as a burning sensation appeared on her chest. Emerald eyes looked at the spot before gasping in pain.

"Ara, gomenasai!" exclaimed the other woman. The woman pulled a few napkins from the counter and began to dab at Natsuki's shirt. Natsuki gave off a weak grunt as the burning sensation began to disappear.

Sighing tiredly, Natsuki mentally screamed in her head. She needed that coffee, damn it!

"Are you alright?" whispered the other woman. Natsuki's eyes snapped towards the woman who had decided to ruin her coffee.

"Does it look like I'm okay?.. My coffee is on the ground while your tea.. is on my shirt.." Natsuki's patience was depleting very quickly and nothing was stopping it. Well.. except for the sorrowful crimson eyes in front of her. _'Whoa... she's beautiful..' _The woman standing in front of her was nothing she had ever seen before. Long tawny chestnut hair flowed down her back. Full lips graced into a sad smile. And finally, warm crimson eyes. A pair that Natsuki felt like drowning in.

"Gomen, I didn't mean to crash into you. The ground was wet and I slipped," the woman then pointed to the small puddle of water. Natsuki tore her attention and stared at the liquid on the floor before her eyes drifted to the other woman again... Those eyes.. Natsuki could stare at them all day.

Realizing that she had been starring, Natsuki quickly snapped into a more attentive position. The other woman giggled as a mischievous glint in those crimson orbs suddenly appeared. Blushing slightly, the emerald eyed woman stuttered out, "I... I guess it's fine if you slipped. It's just... I needed that coffee."

The other woman's perfectly shaped eyebrow curved and her head tilted to the side. Natsuki found it absolutely cute. "That's the 'Death Wish Coffee', no? That's no good for someone you're age."

Natsuki shrugged. "Probably, but I really need the caffeine in my system. It's been a long long day.."

"Ahhh... I apologize once again."

Natsuki just waved her hand dismissively before inspecting the damage done on her shirt. No longer was it just dark blue, the color that her whole shirt was, now it proudly wore a big brown stain. 'Aw man, and this was one of my favorites too.'

"Would the cute lady, that I had unfortunately ruined her shirt, like to share her name?" the brunette asked, giving Natsuki another smile. _'Oh... shit. She thinks I'm cute? Wait, oh kami, is she teasing me?'_

"N-Natsuki. Just Natsuki. I hate formalities." Natsuki felt another blush rise to her face and suddenly felt dizzy. Glancing around, she found the nearest chair and sat down. The other woman joined her, sitting in front of the tired woman.

"Ah, then I'm really really sorry, Nat-su-ki. I'm Shizuru by way. Just Shizuru. I'm not at all fond with formalities either. Especially with a woman like you."

"I-I said it's fine. And it's nice to meet you." Natsuki stuttered as her face turned a new red. Quickly redirecting her eyes to her watch, to avoid anymore blushes from appearing, . The mall closes at 0200. _'Crap, I should probably get back to Mai before she eats me alive.'_

Natsuki groaned in annoyance and was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't see the woman in front of her move towards the counter. It wasn't until a familiar smell drifting into her nose did Natsuki snap out of it.

"Here," Shizuru offered the dark haired woman with a smile. "I believe I owe you some coffee."

"Umm you didn't have to.."

"Oh, but I wanted to. What I did was completely unacceptable. I offer this cup of coffee as an apology." With a bright smile thrown in her direction, Natsuki couldn't do anything but accept such a gracious offer. _'I... I think I like this woman...'_

Another mega watt smile was thrown her way and Natsuki swore that all the blood in her body had finally rushed to her head. 'I've never blushed this much before... If I didn't like her then, I most definitely like her now!'

Clearing her throat, to gather Shizuru's attention and to think about anything else other than her mindful confession, Natsuki smiled in gratitude. "Thanks Shizuru."

"You're welcome, Nat-su-ki," Shizuru replied back, a graceful smile replacing her other one. _'Geez, how many smiles does she have?' _

The two continued to sit there in silence as Natsuki sipped on her coffee and Shizuru just smiling at her. _'Well, this is slightly awkward, but it's weird how I'm not at all uncomfortable.'_

"So um.. Shi- " Natsuki's attempt at a conversation was quickly halted when her ringtone blared. Setting her coffee down, the emerald eyed woman answered her phone.

"Natsuki! Where have you been!" Mai's voice drifted from the handset and Natsuki had to move her phone away just so her eardrums wouldn't shatter.

Natsuki just took a deep breath and rubbed her temples. "Drinking coffee. Just like you told me too.."

"That was about thirty minutes ago! Was the line really that long?" Natsuki could practically imagine the response she'd get if she mentioned her coffee accident so she just replied back the only way that the woman would leave her alone.

"Yea, there were so many people. I had to wait about twenty minutes before they took my order. My coffee took about another ten minutes of waiting. I just got it now."

"Ohh! Well that's alright. Just hurry back!" Mai's voice said before a dial tone could be heard. Closing her phone shut, Natsuki turned her attention to the woman in front of her only to notice a tinge of an unfamiliar emotion in those burgandy orbs. _'... Is that jealously?'_

Seeing that Shizuru might think that Mai was her girlfriend, Natsuki quickly threw out a statement that would guarantee that nothing was going on with her friend and that she was absolutely single. "Um sorry about that. You know how best friends are."

The warm feeling came back to those crimson orbs as Shizuru smiled. Natsuki blushed for the ump-teenth time and smiled back. But it was short-lived as Natsuki realized that she had to go.

Standing up, the dark haired beauty rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Um it was nice meeting you, Shizuru, but I need to get going. See you around." Turning to walk away, her hand was once again taken.

"I apologize, Natsuki, but I can't let you do that." Shizuru looked at her with a serious expression. An expression that doesn't seem fitting for the graceful woman.

"W-why not?" the tired woman wondered.

"Well because," Natsuki watched as a devilish look took over Shizuru's face, "That is no way to end a date."

The blood drained from the dark haired woman's face. "A d-d-date!?"

Shizuru gave off a laugh that weakened Natsuki's knees. "I believe it to be so. After all, I did buy Natsuki coffee, ne?"

"I- Well yea, you did, but that doesn't count!"

"And what does?"

Natsuki looked at the other woman in confusion before a light bulb appeared above her head. "Tomorrow morning! 0900 at um.. Tokira's Cafe! The one of 23rd street!"

Shizuru smiled and finally let go of Natsuki's hand. The emerald eyed woman instantly missed the warmth that disappeared. "I know exactly where that is. Ara, it's a date then."

And with that, Shizuru left the way that she came into Natsuki's life. In an instant.

Mai once said that sometimes, things were just fated to happen. Natsuki looked at the coffee stain on her shirt and at the retreating figure. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

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**Cheesy I know, but I like it so yea. Whatever. Please excuse my grammar and spelling. I wanted to publish this before I completely bury it within my computer. And I'd probably forget about it which is no good...**

**So...REVIEW guys! I'd like to know how this went. **


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